“That leave be given to bring in a Bill to prevent the charging by letting agents of above–cost fees; to provide that the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 and Estate Agents Act 1979 apply to letting agencies; to facilitate the establishment by councils of landlord and property accreditation schemes; to establish a housing ombudsman service for tenants in the private rented sector; to require the Secretary of State to undertake a review of the legislation applying to the private rented sector; and for connected purposes.”

The Bill will now be added to Parliamentary Business, and a time will be confirmed for it to be debated at a later date.

Following the passing of the motion, Teresa said:

“I am extremely pleased this Motion received unanimous support in the Commons today. Given that more and more people are being forced to rent we have to ensure that the sector is fit for purpose.

At the moment this is clearly not the case. I am regularly contacted by constituents who tell me they are being forced to pay extortionate letting agency fees; that they are living in sub-standard properties; and that their landlords are failing to provide even a basic level of service. We need to build up momentum to tackle this problem, and to ensure renters are given the support they need to make their rental properties their homes.”